Corporal Punishment Controversy

Well, many parents find that time-outs and physical punishments are becoming more and more ineffective when disciplining children; this leaves parents questioning their authoritative abilities. In a recent study conducted by Dr. Shari Barkins in the article, “Positive Reinforcement is More Effective than Punishment”, “1 in 3 [parents] said they could not effectively discipline their kids” (Pope). This shows that many parents are experiencing difficulties and challenges when using punishing methods when disciplining

Spanking is a fiercely debated social issue in many countries, such as the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Germany. There are questions over what intensity of pain is suitable until it crosses the threshold into abuse. Up until the mid-20th century it was perfectly okay in most communities for a spanking to cause a child to cry in pain throughout and have difficulty sitting down afterward, even resulting in stripes or bruises for days. Nowadays several think even mere redness of the skin abusive, while others would call it effective discipline. This causes questions as to whether children should be spanked. In addition, whether spanking is an effective method of discipline and at what point does it constitutes child abuse.

Children do not come with guidelines or instructions. What they do come with is a crucial set of physical and emotional needs that need to be met. To raise children properly, parents duties are not limited to just food, shelter and protection. Parents are largely responsible for their children’s success in life. Parents are required to teach and educate children. They have to shape knowledge and character into their children to prepare them to face the real world. To be successful with this, parents must provide self esteem needs, teach moral and values and provide discipline that is both effective and appropriate. As the generations have changed, many parenting styles have evolved, as well.

Proverbs 29:15 says,“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” As the Proverb is examined, one can point out that discipline should not only come through wisdom, but also physical discipline, such as spanking. However, the foundation of allowing spanking should be love; as it is one of the largest components throughout the entire bible. “Loving discipline requires both an explanation of the offense and consequence, and the affirmation of our love for our children,” (Frye). Children should be spanked, but also have a lecture given, where they will learn about bettering their discipline and how to not repeat the same offense

“Fortunately, children do not need “perfect” parents. They do need mothers and fathers who will think on their feet and who will be thoughtful about what they have done. They do need parents who can be flexible, and who can use a variety of approaches to discipline.” - James L. Hymes, Jr. this quote, I can say, is physically

The poll asked if a child less than one year old should be spanked. As a result, 81 percent of the mothers disagreed with spanking a child less than a year of age, and 19 percent believe a child under a year of age should be spanked (Jet 16). Then when asked if a child of 1-3 years old should be spanked, 26 percent disagreed with spanking at that age and an astounding 74 percent agreed with spanking a child of this age(Jet 16). When asked about the harshness of the spanking, 92 percent said they do not leave visible marks of damage while only eight percent say they do leave a mark upon the child (Jet 16). The results of both polls show consistent finding with the research of sociologist Richard J. Gelles, PhD, and director of the Family Violence Research Program at the University of Rhode Island. He Believes ?Hitting children is so taken for granted in out society that almost all parent view spanking as an inevitable part of raising children?(Working Mother 48). He believes this ideology will remain apart of our culture because it is infused within each of us since birth (Working Mother 48).

     The idea of discipline has changed a lot over the years. My Grandfather had very stern rules when it came to punishment. My father on the other hand was a lot more lax. Now that I myself am a father, I am grappling with the

The issue of spanking has become an important social controversy over the past few decades. As a result, some people are bringing out some negative opinions against spanking. One of them argues spanking is really unnecessary and not effective when parents disciple their sons and daughters because it might not be helpful directly changing children’s wrong behaviors result in parents’ abuse and family violence. On the other hand, I do not agree with that because parents’ discipline when a child got mistake is supposed to be under a type of affection toward them, so people would know parents rarely spank them either to express their anger or to beat them severely. Sometimes people may not agree with them, but we need to remember that parents only

Spanking children is a very controversial topic; there are people who agree with spanking and there are those who disagree. Everyone’s decision varies based on if they were spank or not spanked as children. After taking several courses in child development it is my belief that physical punishment actually alters the brain, it can traumatize a child, as well as have a decrease of gray matter in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex that have been linked to depression, addiction and other mental disorders. Which could be a leading cause for children growing up with higher risk of commenting a crime. Some may say there is no damage left on children and it can alter unwanted behavior affectedly. Regardless of the reason for what people stand behind when it comes to spanking, it is my belief every individual reacts different to being spanked. There are many elements that affect if the outcome is positive or negative. Spanking should only occur if a child is mentally capacity to understand it is a form or correcting unwanted behavior; followed by a firm lecture as to why the child got spanked. A child should know why they were spanked, furthermore, a parents’ goal should be to not resort to spanking. As a child, I was not spanked, nevertheless, I knew my parents could spank me; from witness childhood friends get spanked. The beliefs and values of American’s are that no one deserves corporal punishment, however, corporal punishment is practice in homes on children, corporal

Should one punish their child by the use of spanking to correct their child’s wrong behavior? Is it morally correct to punish a child in this manor? Punishment takes place universally, meaning it happens in places all over the world. Punishment is characterized as a type of training that is often used to correct a child from repeating the act of doing something wrong beyond the first action of the wrongdoing. There are many forms and types of punishment that parents may chose to use on their child, however spanking has recently been brought up as possibly being morally misconstrued. Some parents determine wether to use just one or combine methods of punishment to teach their child the right way to do things. However, not everyone identifies spanking a child as an act of moral malpractice. According to some parents the fundamental objective for spanking a child is to punish their misbehavior, thereby reducing the reoccurrence of the behavior happening again. Parents often punish their children to achieve not only short-term compliance but long-term changes in behavior (Gershoff, 2013). The punishment often only provides immediate compliance and may still

Discipline also builds a healthy relationship between the child and the parents. Children need to feel a sense of security at home. In a secure home environment, a child feels protected and is

The second reason why spanking should not be done to children is the fact that it is a form of child abuse. At the moment, countries are divided as to legalize corporal punishment or create a law saying it is illegal. In the book written by Abela (2007) for the Council of Europe, she notes that “spanking of children less than two years old increases the risk of severe physical injury and the child is unlikely to understand the connection between behavior and punishment.” Most parents tend to go overboard when disciplining their children, especially when they are very angry and have not subdued their anger. This then makes the child their venting medium to get rid of that anger and sometimes, they do not apologize and even forget why they have done the deed. Other parents tend to make this a habit and even if the child did nothing wrong, they would still continue spanking the child. Eventually, the parents may slowly abuse the child through pain and totally make the child’s life a complete hell. As a result, child becomes frail and suffers psychological problems. Some countries, especially social services, use this as grounds to get the child away from the family and file cases of child abuse and physical injury that can lead to jail time if proven guilty. Spanking may also cause scarring and may be with the child

Some Christian parents view spanking as a solution for discipline their children according to Gods word. Spanking is used to instruct their children in the ways of God. It is important to view spanking in the total context of child development. While the Bible advocates corporal punishment, it also places stern restrictions on its use. Spanking should never occur when a parent is angry (Lansford, Wager, Bates, Pettit, & Dodge, 2012). According to the Bible, parents must lovingly shape their children according to God’s

While physically punishing a misbehaving child brings instant results by making the child complacent, the overall effect on the child is actually more negative. The child understands their actions caused them to get punished but this doesn’t actually teach the child a reason for behaving correctly, only that they did something wrong. Furthermore, it encourages aggression and violence because it models aggression and violence. “Spanking or slapping a child is an act of violence, just as slapping a wife is an act of violence” (Straus & Donnelly, 2001, p. XiX). I’ll elaborate by expanding on a scenario discussed in my English class of two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. The siblings are playing together with one toy, when the girl decides to take the toy and play with it by herself. The boy attempts to take the toy back but the sister refuses; upset by this, he slaps his sister

Many parents find themselves using frequent sayings such as, “do not touch that”, do not do that”, and “stop being mean to your sister!” Along with those sayings, parents still refer to a specific passage from the Bible, Proverbs 22:15, which states: Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. The chapters 22 and 23 of Proverbs speak of how the rod should be used and when. It also tells parents spanking the child will not kill him. Many researchers and parents would argue these facts and state is does cause harm but if they could understand the limitations of the teachings, incorporate communication, and set boundaries the use of a rod would instill wisdom, instruction, and